You will work in groups of 4 for your student projects.


Your group project counts for 35% of your grade:

Before the Class:
  • 5% material is on wiki 2 weeks before class
  • 15% quality and completeness of the wiki introduction
During your class presentation:
  • 10% organization and preparedness during the class presentation, knowledge and ability to answer questions
  • 5% listening activities and discussion topics

Once you have a group formed, choose the date for your project and sign up for it on the wiki.
Include your first and last name, and also the student number of each person in your group.
In addition, write down the TV comedy or drama that you want to do your project on.

Your entry could look like this:

November 6: Big Bang Theory, Season 1, Episode 4
Andy Chang (100111111), Betty Wu (99222222), Cathy Chen (98333333), Daniel Lai (101444444)

You need to have the following information up on the wiki two weeks before class (first two groups are excused from this requirement, why so early?):

  • Background of the show: 300 word limit (Do NOT just cut and paste something from a website)
  • Character introduction: Just introduce the main characters that will be important in the scene or episode that you play for the class
  • Introduction to the episode that you are going to present to the class.

  • 10-15 vocabulary words from the show given in context, with definitions according to how they are used in the show. Do NOT just copy a definition from the dictionary.
  • 5-10 key phrases or idioms from the show that you explain
  • 5-10 cultural items or concepts that you explain
  • Annotated Transcript of your program
  • Homework assignment that will be completed before your class

Your goal for putting up this information is to give your classmates enough background so they can begin watching the program in class. We want to save our time in class for watching the program and discussing it. Quizzes will be based on the material that you put on the wiki before class.

Your FINAL version of the wiki should be ready one week before you present to the class.


During the class you should:
  • Introduce your program briefly, and tell your classmates anything else they should know before they watch the show. For example: "Pay attention to (how many ... / who ate the .... / where did they buy the .... / etc.) because we are going to ask you about that after the program."
  • Watch the show: If you pick a one hour program, do not show more than 20 minutes of the program in class. You can show one continuous section of the show, or cut together scenes from different parts of the program.
  • Do your listening comprehension activities
  • Do your intensive listening activity
  • Lead a discussion activity (We may have additional Discussion Weeks at various times during the semester.)

  • You are responsible for providing your own computer for the class if you wish to make a PowerPoint presentation.

After your presentation is over, you should add the following to the wiki:
  • Any material you used in your presentation such as a ppt
  • Your listening activities

Your midterm and final exams will include sections constructed from the vocabulary and phrase lists that you create, but the words may be used in different contexts than they appeared in originally. Your exams can also include questions based on some of the topics or cultural issues that are brought up in the various programs.